I had such a great time going over my 2020 books and writing short reviews last year, that I decided to do it again this year! I’m not going to be quite as ambitious when it comes to the timeline — rather than doing them all in a month or doing a certain number per week, I’m just going to do them as I can. Maybe it’ll take all year. Maybe I’ll have the time to do a post every single day. Who knows?

Regardless of how long it takes me to get through all 65 of my 2021 reads, I hope you enjoy looking back on this reading journey with me, and maybe get a few recommendations along the way!

I got Brosh’s first book, Hyperbole and a Half, years ago and have read it over and over, laughing uproarously every time. So when I heard she had a new book out, I knew I had to have it!

Did I laugh? Yes. Quite hard at some of the comics. But I hesitated between three and four stars because I didn’t care for a lot of the comics, which tend to delve more into Brosh’s strange adventures with drugs and trying to figure out her life and mental illness. Which is fine, it just wasn’t very relatable or appealing reading to me. So I found this particular volume a mixed bag. I’m glad I read it, but I haven’t wanted to go back to it over and over like the first one.

It had been many years since I read this series, so I decided to revisit it early last year. What can I say? The books are classics for a reason. I also had a different perspective on them reading them as an adult, as a wife and mother, than I used to. I had a deeper appreciation for everything the pioneers went through, and also a deeper appreciation for Ma and Pa Ingalls and their wisdom and fortitude in the face of everything they went through.

I like how the series grows along with Laura, in tone as well as story. In this book, she is very much a little girl and it’s told through a little girl’s eyes. Later books definitely show more awareness and maturity. I look forward to getting to read these books to my girls when they are just a little bit older!

Yes, yes, I know this book and its author are extremely controversial and much-hated by many. I’m not going to get into it too much, but I will say two things: I do not agree with every single thing in the book, hence the four rather than five stars, and I found it to be immensely helpful and encouraging for my own marriage. There is much blessing and wisdom contained in these pages, and I fully intend to read it again soon.

The number one thing I didn’t care for was the author’s frequent painting pictures of where a wife might expect to end up if she doesn’t follow these principles. She would portray what someone’s life might look like if their husband left, which no doubt is meant well, but I didn’t care for it — it was a bit dramatic, and we ought to follow any truth in the book because it is truth, not because of what it may or may not get us.

But other than that, I thoroughly appreciated the godly wisdom and am thankful for it.

What can I say? It’s a classic for a reason! I’ve read this book many times in the past, but it had been several years so I thought it would be a good one to revisit, especially since my family had an audiobook of it available. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can’t wait to read this one to my kids.

This one is probably my least favorite of the series, though of course it’s still good. I just didn’t find the story of Almanzo and his family as compelling as the stories of Laura and her family, but still it was a good read and I was fascinated by all the descriptions of farming and life on a farm back in the day!

I’ll be back sometime, probably next week, with five more reviews!